PIONEERING ONLINE MEDIATION: A NEW WAY (a panel discussion)

The ADR Bureau is extremely proud of our new Online Mediation Services process, which allows us to serve teleworking employees and those in remote parts of the state (a long-time goal for the program). This panel of brave mediators are part of our creative team that developed, tested and piloted this new and unique process. Come celebrate these trailblazers with a lively discussion about their experiences, insights and unexpected Ah-Ha moments.

Audience: mediators only

**Please pre-register for this 2020 NM ADR Symposium session (online ZOOM event) ONLY if you have completed a 40-hour Beginning Mediation course AND are able to attend the full two-hour session.

When: Thursday, October 15, 2020 (9:00 am – 11:00 am)

Sponsored by: NM General Services Department / Risk Management Division / ADR Bureau

PANELISTS:

Corine Frankland, Ph.D., is the Director of GEARUP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) at the NM Higher Education Department, where she also serves as the agency’s Coordinator of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation. She combines her experience in education, social justice, mediation, and counseling to support the growth and success of the communities and institutions she serves. In addition to her duties at the NMHED, Corine also maintains a private practice in Spiritual Direction and Somatic Polarity Therapy.

Tamarra Howard, Training and Professional Development Director for the NM Office of Attorney General, has 20 years of diversified experience in both private and public sectors as a paralegal, training coordinator and executive assistant to the Chief Deputy. Tamarra has experience in management training, team building, professional development and strategic planning and implementation with agency collaboration. Throughout her career she has assisted individuals by reducing conflict in their professional lives. Having developed a strong interest and belief in alternative dispute resolution, Tamarra got certified as a mediator four (4) years ago.

David Levin graduated from UNM School of Law in 1977 and has been a trained mediator since 1987. David began his legal career as a civil litigator and general practitioner, later becoming a Board Recognized Specialist in Family Law and establishing a general private mediation practice. David has served as court administrator of local and statewide alternative methods of dispute resolution programs, and has taught basic, family, magistrate court, and advanced mediation, as well as settlement facilitation.

Sandy J. Martinez is the Director for Labor Relations at the State Personnel Office for the State of NM. She has thirty years of experience with labor contracts and employee relations and has collaborated with Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS) in training Interest Based Problem Solving (IBPS). Martinez is a certified mediator and volunteers at Albuquerque Metropolitan Court, NM Magistrate Court and the state's ADR Bureau. She is a board member of the New Mexico Mediation Association.

Dr. Jaime Phillips has been with the State of New Mexico since 2006, and serves as a Lead HR Consultant at the State Personnel Office. She specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, including equal employment opportunity and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She received her doctorate in Sociology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she taught Sociology and Women's Studies.

Robert Rambo began mediating at Metro Court in 1996. In 2003 he was hired as the mediator for the New Mexico Court of Appeals and mediated well over a thousand cases until he retired in 2017. Robert is currently semi-retired but remains active in the mediation community and continues to mediate on a part-time basis.

Rachel Veracka has been a museum professional for fourteen years and first learned about mediation three years ago when her boss recommended a training for supervisors offered by Cynthia Olson on dealing with conflict. She was so inspired by that training that she took the 40 hour course and soon began volunteering with the ADR Bureau’s mediation program. The skills used in mediation have made her a better co-worker, manager, customer service provider, and overall person that regularly interacts with other people! She feels it’s an honor to be a part of a process that allows for more understanding and connection.

Helen E. Zagona's first career was as an RN in Intensive Care and in Labor and Delivery so she learned to handle stress. However, the stress only got more intense when she went to Baylor Law School and studied for the bar! After a career as a Sole Practitioner Attorney, she retired to New Mexico to do various types of volunteer work. She is currently a Board Member of the League of Women Voters, a volunteer at her local film society theater, an avid cyclist and a volunteer mediator.